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Earlier this season the Rockies placed Jeff Francis and Huston Street on the disabled list. This is problematic as the team was hoping for significant contributions from both players. Huston Street’s appearance on the list was most likely a surprise to the team and fans, Jeff Francis' was not. Regardless of these injuries the team was going along just fine, staying a game or two out of first and staying ahead of the Dodgers.

And then this week started. A headline in the Denver Post today noted that Jorge De La Rosa needs an MRI on the middle finger of his throwing hand. This announcement comes shortly after the Rockies placed Brad Hawpe on the fifteen day disabled list. Jorge De La Rosa is second on the team in wins and first in the majors with nineteen wins since June 1st of last year. De La Rosa was hit on the finger during the third inning of a game against the Florida Marlins and was reduced to only throwing changeups by the fifth inning. Much like last season, Hawpe was betting well early this season, in fact he was leading the team with a .357 average.

De La Rosa may not wind up on the DL and Hawpe’s stay on it may only consist of the fifteen days it requires, but the fear is that injuries and not skill are what keep the Rocks from repeating their stunning performance of last year. The Rockies are loaded in the outfield and can remedy the loss of Hawpe, even for an extended period. De La Rosa’s situation is completely different. If the lefty were to miss substantial time the Rocks could be finished before they get started. Without De La Rosa’s 16-3 record down the stretch in 2009 there probably wouldn’t be any discussion about the possibility of Rockies back-to-back playoff appearances. Jimenez and De La Rosa are the players most valuable to the Rockies success and the removal of one of them from an already thin starting rotation could be disastrous. The Padres and Giants are already a surprise at this point in the season and the Dodgers can turn it on despite injury problems of their own.

Here’s hoping the injury to Jorge De La Rosa isn’t more serious than a bruise and his missed time will be merely juggling the schedule to buy him a couple extra days off. There is an old saying; “You can’t win a championship in April, but you can sure lose one”.

Note: While this was being written, Jason Hammel left the game after he injured his groin in the third inning against the Diamondbacks. Ubaldo Jimenez and Aaron Cook may want to avoid any risky situations such as posing for the cover of Madden or taking the mound for the Rockies. Good luck fellas.

Update: After his MRI Jorge De La Rosa learned that he had torn a ligament in the middle finger of his throwing hand. While the injury may not require surgury De La Rosa is headed for the DL. Along with De La Rosa, Jason Hammel is also going to spend time on the DL and struggling catcher Chris Ianetta is headed to play a stint in Colorado Springs. Welcome back to the majors Juan Rincon and Jhoulys Chacin. It has been a heck of a week for our boys from Blake Street.

The Rocks have certainly had more than their share of injuries to this point. The farm system depth they have developed will hopefully pay off. Ubaldo looks spectacular. It will be a pleasure to watch him pitch every 5 days